It's no sweat: Tigers to growl in new jerseys

The new Nike shoes the University of Memphis basketball team will be wearing in the postseason.

The Tigers will be showing their stripes during the 2009 postseason.

Chosen by Nike as one of five schools to wear a new style of uniform for the Conference USA and NCAA tournaments, the University of Memphis will debut today in a customized jersey that has Tiger-style stripes patterned into mesh material on the back.

Also in the pattern are the letters "RTL" -- short for "Refuse to Lose," the slogan associated with coach John Calipari going back to his UMass days.

Duke, Michigan State, Gonzaga and Oregon are also wearing the "Nike Aerographic" uniforms, each with an image pattern unique to the schools. Team USA wore a similar-style jersey during the 2008 Summer Olympics.

KeJuan Wilkins, a spokesman for Nike, said the new look is a combination of style and functionality. The mesh material reduces the weight of a normal jersey by 31 percent, ostensibly decreasing a player's body temperature.

"It's basically a cooling zone where it provides extra ventilation for the players and helps keep their body cool, helps regulate the body temperature and allows them to have a lighter weight jersey," Wilkins said. "Ultimately, it allows you to have more energy because your body isn't using so much energy to keep your body cool."

The Tigers will also be wearing customized blue-and-white striped shoes with "RTL" written on the toe area. Wilkins said Nike designers worked with officials at Memphis to come up with the stripe design.

"It's neat stuff," Calipari said.

"Instead of the two-tone, it's a white jersey with a white pattern. They've worked with us pretty well."

Memphis is in the first year of a five-year, $11.3 million apparel deal with Nike.